


Belle's Fire

by Trainmaster64



Series: Belle Saga [1]
Category: Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends, Thomas the Tank Engine - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Gen, Heartbreak, Male-Female Friendship, Romance, Trains, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-10-01
Updated: 2011-10-01
Packaged: 2018-03-30 11:19:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3934870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trainmaster64/pseuds/Trainmaster64
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Belle is very interested in Toby, to the extent that she falls in love with him. Now she needs to know that Toby feels the same way.</p><p>Story 1 of 6.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Belle's Fire

Belle is a large blue tank engine with a large presence. She has two water cannons that help her to fight fires, and a sharp, piercing bell that cuts through any amount of noise. She is also the biggest tank engine on Sodor, and is very present in looks and outlook. Belle is very outgoing and cheerful to everyone she meets.

But not every engine is as outgoing or present as Belle, as she found out when she tried to be friends with Toby. Toby was, truthfully, a bit frightened by her at first, but soon they found some common interests, like the birds outside Toby’s shed at Arlesdale End.

Belle would stop by as often as she could, and she and Toby would listen to the birds sing sweetly in the early morning sky. The morning sun would glisten over the lake and make everything much more beautiful and breathtaking. The two engines would enjoy the sights and rest in content.

This didn’t mean that Belle was becoming quieter by any means – she was still just as powerfully active as ever. She had simply learned to enjoy the slower and quieter pace of life. She had never before appreciated the beauty of an early morning sunrise, often being too busy collecting water and coal to notice. But it simply was beautiful; the way the light glistened over Toby’s sturdy and aged shape, his handsome and masculine face, and his wise and kind smile shining back at her each morning…

Belle sighed contentedly inside her shed at the Search and Rescue Centre, thinking about him.

“…hmm? Wuzzgoinon? …” Flynn muttered sleepily.

Belle immediately fell silent again; Flynn had been out on a call at Peel Godred and hadn’t gotten back until it was very late. She hadn’t realized she had sighed, or so loudly; she would have to apologise to him later on in the day. For now, she drifted back to sleep content, thinking about that one certain engine with a certain brass bell and a certain something about him that made her so excited…

“I think I’m in love,” she whispered to herself, before drifting into sleep once more.

***

Belle puffed carefully into Arlesdale End. The early morning light was dim, as the sun had not yet risen. Toby was sitting quietly in his shed, listening as ever to the birds gently warbling in the birdhouse next to him. He usually awoke early, but would fall asleep again soon afterwards until it was time for his next passenger run. Belle liked to think that Toby was getting up early especially for her.

The old tram engine looked at home in this picturesque scene. A small pond near the shed was home to several ducklings and some small fish, while the country station nearby sat perfectly on the main line – it was as if Arlesdale End was frozen in time and preserved as it was many years ago. Belle suspected that Toby himself had been there at that time, and had simply never left. Perhaps that was part of his charm – Toby was older, but certainly not any less attractive. She had heard a saying that some things get better with age, and to her Toby was living proof of this.

“Ah… good morning, Belle. It’s so nice of you to come visit again,” Toby said.

Belle’s heart missed a beat as Toby called to him. “Hello, Toby!” she cried loudly. “It’s good to see you too.”

Toby winced slightly – he never could get used to Belle’s loud voice. Then again, he had had a bit of trouble with Belle’s whole persona before they had gotten to know each other a bit better. “You’re just in time to watch the sunrise with me again,” he said quietly, “but you must be quiet so the birds don’t get scared away.”

Belle understood immediately, and was extremely careful to let off steam very softly as she rested next to Toby. He smiled at her as the sun finally began to rise that morning.

The sun gently peaked over the tree line, showering the whole yard with the first rays of morning light. Belle gazed around her; it looked like something one would find in a dream. The light made everything stand out in sharp relief; her Prussian blue paint sparkled. Toby’s woodwork showed its fading brown paint and countless marks and scars – a testament to his years of experience. Belle could appreciate his years of experience reflected in his appearance, and admired how he had refused to be rebodied because of this. As much as she enjoyed racing across the island fighting fires, Belle could feel relaxed and pleased to simply rest here with Toby, enjoying the sights she had seen quite a few times already.

After a while, Toby spoke up. “Well, Belle,” he chuckled, realizing his own unintentional pun after he had said it, “don’t you think it’s time to head back to work? I know I’ve got a full day ahead of me.”

Secretly Belle did not want to leave; she wanted to be with Toby for as long as she possibly could. However, she knew Toby was right – they both had work to do. “Goodbye, my love,” she whispered.

“Pardon me?” Toby asked. Belle jumped; she had not intended for Toby to hear but sometimes his hearing was more acutely tuned than was normally the case.

“Erm, I said ‘look at the dove,’” Belle loudly called. “The dove, I think I see a dove in one of the birdhouse windows.”

Again, Toby winced very slightly at Belle’s voice, but still gazed at the birdhouse for a few seconds. “I don’t see any doves anywhere. It must have gone inside, or flown away.”

Belle quickly agreed, then she puffed quickly away, cursing herself all the while for both letting it slip and not telling him further.

***

“What do you mean, you’re in love with him?”

“I’m telling you what I mean! I had that dream about him again last night…”

Belle was chatting animatedly to Emily that afternoon. Emily was taking a passenger excursion for James, while Belle was on standby waiting for a call.

“You mean,” whispered Emily with a glint of mischievousness in her eye, “that dream where he comes into your shed late at night and-”

“Yes! The one where he’s with me, kissing me as I tell him how I feel. He says it back, and he means it, Emily, he really does!”

The two engines were grinning broadly and giggling to each other; they enjoyed having these little conversations. Belle was as loud as Gordon after an overhaul at times, but she was still a female nonetheless and loved such chats.

“You do know he doesn’t realize, do you? That… erm, seventh engine.” Emily whispered.

Belle was surprised; she had thought that Toby had already known. It took her a moment to realize that her dreams were just that, and nothing more. “I think he’ll say it if I point it out to him, and show him-”

“NO!” Emily cried, a little too loudly; Ferdinand gave the two engines an odd look as he passed by with a lumber train from Misty Island. “Sorry… you can’t just tell him or show him like you would. I know him fairly well by now, and so do you – how do you think he’d react if you just went to him outright? He’d probably blow his safety valves clean out from shock. Besides,” she went on darkly, “I should know better than anyone what happens when you let yourself go like that…”

Belle knew that she was right – after Emily’s shocking kiss with Thomas she knew that giving in like that would be detrimental towards any type of relationship with him - but she still didn’t want to go on without hearing Toby say those words back to her; they would make her completely satisfied. Whistling goodbye to Emily as she set off, Belle settled back down in her siding and rested.

***

Belle was racing along the Sudrian coast. The wind blasted across her face as she whistled long and loud.

Suddenly, Toby was there, racing alongside. He was saying something, but she couldn’t hear what. It was impossible to tell… oh no. No. Nononononononono… He couldn’t mean that… but he did. It was all too horrible.

Toby was downcast, distraught, and disappeared into the mists that had suddenly appeared. Belle was alone and scared – what had happened? What was happening now? What-

There was a jolt, a sharp drop down and down to the waters of the sea below-

“NOOOO!”

Belle was panting as if she had run nonstop from Barrow to Tidmouth. Slowly she began to realize she was not out on the cliffs, that it had all been a dream, and that she was still safe at the Search and Rescue Centre.

Flynn had been woken up by the sharp cry, and was on red alert. “Little blue engine! What’s happening? Where’s the emergency?”

Then he noticed his shed mate, who looked utterly spooked – he had not seen that look on her face in a very long time. Terrified out of her mind, as if she had seen the world ending. Her eyes were wide with fear and deep angst, which were taking their sweet time in fading. Belle was deeply frightened – which frightened Flynn.

“…Belle? Is everything all right? What happened?”

Belle was slowly beginning to calm down, but still looked very distressed. Flynn was afraid she may begin to cry; he had only ever seen her cry a few times before, and those had resulted from a very nasty time indeed. “I’m fine, Flynn,” she managed to utter. “Just had a bad – very bad dream. Sorry I woke you.”

Flynn was still very concerned as he drifted off to sleep again. In his mind he made a mental note to try to talk with her about it more in the morning, but he had to sleep as much as he could now in case of an emergency call.

Belle was frightened. She had never had a dream about Toby like that before. Normally when she dreamt about Toby she woke up feeling happy and full of gentle longing – this dream had left her feeling the exact opposite. She knew, deep down, what he had said, even though she had not heard him. She knew he had said the only thing he could say that would make her so distraught. 

He had said that he didn’t love her. Not at all.

***

“You want to talk?”

“I already said no, Flynn. There’s nothing to talk about.”

“Please?”

Belle groaned wearily. Flynn had been trying to get her to talk to him about her dream, and while she knew he meant well Belle still did not want to discuss it – particularly because of what it meant to her. “NO, Flynn, I’m FINE. Please just drop it and let me get to work.”

“That’s the trouble with being a fire engine, Belle – you don’t work until you’re called to action. We’re not going anywhere until then. Now tell me what you dreamt about that made you so nervous – I haven’t seen you like that in years, ever since –”

Belle, however, wheeshed him with steam as she puffed out of the Search and Rescue Centre. She knew that she had to keep herself available for emergencies, but she simply didn’t want to talk about this with him, and certainly not now. She had to go and think about what had happened in her dream – Flynn could take care of any emergency that came up for now.

Flynn sighed to himself as Belle puffed carefully away. He wasn’t upset that she had abandoned her post, but he was upset that she was feeling so out-of-sorts. He now knew, of course, who she was thinking about… the two did share a home at the Search and Rescue Centre, after all. He also knew how odd it was, for a fire engine to be like he was - a fire engine, who constantly put himself into danger every time he was called out, only to be scared by a steam locomotive. She had that effect on him whenever he tried to speak to her about himself… his feelings… how odd it was indeed.

***

Puffing through the thick forests, Belle tried to clear her mind and make sense of her dream. Toby had… rejected her. The thought still sent shivers down her boiler, but she managed to push them aside to ask herself: why? What had she done?

“Hello, Toby. I’m Belle. We both have bells. We can have fun together!”

Inside, Belle once again cursed herself for being that silly in front of him. What a way to make an introduction – she had gotten nervous and tried to strike up a conversation. How he must have felt, with this big new engine pushing herself at him like that…

Belle sighed. She had scared him away, when all she had wanted was to get closer to him. Then it hit her:

“Rosie! Of course! She may be able to help me! She followed Thomas for years before she got anything from him. She would know what to do.”

***

Rosie was shunting at Maron Station when Belle puffed in. Belle and Rosie were very good friends – the two of them had met during one of Belle’s emergency calls and had taken to each other instantly. Rosie liked Belle’s powerful presence – one could not help but feel cheerful whenever Belle dropped by, with her big broad smile and her large and loud demeanor.

“Hello, Belle! What are you doing here? Is there any problem?” Rosie was immediately scanning the yards, looking for a hint of smoke that signalled a fire in one of her trucks.

“No, no, Rosie! Well, actually, yes… I have a problem. I need to talk to you.”

Rosie stopped for a minute, as Belle explained her situation to her friend. After a while, Belle had finished telling her about her problem.

“… so now I don’t know if he loves me back or not. I need him to love me so much, Rosie, but I just don’t know if he will. You understand, don’t you?

“Of course I do! I loved Thomas for years and he never took any notice of me,” Rosie puffed. “I had tried to follow him around a lot, but he never liked that – I soon learned to be patient with him. Now look at us!”

“But Rosie, I’ve been patient with Toby for a long time. I’ve spent countless mornings watching the sunrise with him.”

Rosie gasped in delight. “How romantic!” she squealed. “Thomas never does that with me. He’s usually awake and nearly ready for work by then.”

“I know, Rosie. I just need him to love me back, but I don’t know if he will. Should I tell him right away? Should I keep waiting? I need his love NOW, Rosie – help me!” Belle was deeply perturbed.

“Well, don’t tell Toby right away, Belle – he’ll be scared away if you do. I tried to tell Thomas as soon as I met him, but he got scared. I had to wait and wait for the right moment.”

“But Rosie, I HAVE!” Belle was frantic. “I have waited, and he still hasn’t said anything! What if he really doesn’t love me?”

“Don’t think like that! He could be as scared as you are to tell you how you feel – you’ve got to be patient with him. Eventually, he’ll come around to you. Keep doing what you’re doing, and he’ll be yours before long. Trust me.”

Belle was still upset. “I just need him to love me, Rosie… I just need his love. Without it I don’t know what I’ll do.”

***

Later, Belle returned to the Search and Rescue Centre. After receiving a firm telling-off from the chief about leaving her post, she settled back into her shed where Flynn was waiting for her. He looked very concerned – Belle was unperturbed. “Hello, Flynn!” she called cheerfully.

Flynn was not amused. “Where were you?” he asked. “We were all concerned where you’d gotten to – you are required to stay HERE, in case of emergencies!”

“Calm down, Flynn,” Belle huffed. “I was only chatting with Rosie for a minute, and the Chief has already given me the lecture.”

“You really do like Toby, don’t you?” Flynn asked curiously.

“I love him, Flynn – I really do. It’s real this time.” Belle positively glowed as she said it.

Flynn started to grow more uneasy. “I shouldn’t say this, Belle, but… you felt that way once before.”

Belle’s face showed shock, then fear, then deep-seated anger all in one fluid motion. “How DARE you,” she whispered. “How dare you throw that back in my face… after everything you did for me…”

“Belle, please – I didn’t mean it like that,” Flynn quickly started. “I’m just concerned about your well-being – I don’t want to see you get hurt again.”

“Toby,” said Belle in a low voice, “is a GOOD engine. He is a DECENT engine. He would never – NEVER – hurt me. He wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

Flynn sighed. “I know he’s a good engine, Belle, and I know he won’t hurt you like… like before,” he said, glancing at Belle; the tank engine had grown a bit pale. “However,” he continued quickly, “I just don’t want you to get your heart broken again. Toby is a fine engine, but I don’t want him to have to hurt you if he doesn’t love you.”

Flynn truly did mean well, but he had unfortunately said the wrong thing – Belle was fuming. “He loves me, Flynn! He loves me and I love him! We’re MEANT for each other!”

“Really? Has he actually told you?”

Belle stopped, struck dumb by the sudden realization that she had never actually told him. Rosie and Emily’s advice burned in her mind… but Flynn’s question hit her harder.

“No, he hasn’t. But he will. I’ll tell him how I feel right now, and he’ll love me in return. You wait and see.”

Flynn was shocked. “Belle, my dear engine, be reasonable – you can’t just –”

But it was too late. Belle had already puffed out, determined to find her love and put things straight once and for all. Flynn cursed himself, hoping against hope that Belle was right and that he would be put into his place.

***

Toby had just returned home to Arlesdale End. The sun was setting in the sky, giving off an impressive display of orange light upon the pond and landscape surrounding it. The scene was picturesque. Tired out from a set of longer trains than normal, Toby simply wanted to rest tonight.

Then, Belle puffed in. She looked out of breath and very determined. Toby was surprised – Belle usually visited him in the mornings, and always came slowly to keep the birds from flying away. She steamed straight up to his shed, startling every bird in the birdhouse and sending them sailing into the sky.

“Toby! There you are. I’ve been looking for you. I need you.”

“All right, Belle,” Toby puffed calmly. “What is it?”

Staring into Toby’s face, Belle suddenly felt short of breath – the words she had so quickly rehearsed in her mind had been wiped clear. She was, for the first time, at a loss as to exactly how to proceed.

Toby was starting to get concerned, as well as a bit impatient – he needed to rest. “What is it, Belle? Tell me.”

Belle was more flustered now. “I… I… Toby, I… what I mean is…”

“Oh, Belle!” Toby was getting cross. “Just say it. What’s the matter with you? What do you need? Out with it!”

“Toby, I love you. I love you with all of my heart.”

Toby was quickly and nicely silenced by that. He had gone faintly red, which was nothing compared to how much color had risen in Belle’s face, who pressed on determinedly.

“I’ve loved you from the minute I first saw you, Toby. I love how you’re so calm and wise and careful… and… handsome.” Belle had to look away as Toby flushed a deeper shade than before, before continuing. “You’re unique, special, and so interesting. I love you so much, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. We could watch the birds, or run through the woods together. I don’t care what we do, so long as I can be there with you.”

Belle had started to lose a bit of her color, and was growing ever more passionate in her speech. Toby was helpless as Belle’s eyes flashed with passion – how could he have missed it? He had been blinded the whole time. She really did love him.

“Now, I need you to tell me you love me, Toby.” Belle’s face was lit up with eagerness and longing. “Tell me you love me, Toby. Tell me you need me as much as I need you. Kiss me. Love me.”

“Well, I… erm… Belle, I…”

“Say you love me, Toby. Please, say it.”

Toby opened his mouth. Belle waited with growing anticipation. This was the moment she had been waiting and hoping for.

“I…”

“Yes?” Belle asked breathlessly.

“… I… I can’t. I don’t feel that way. I’m sorry, but I just don’t love you like that.”


End file.
